Before He Was Mine (Before Series, Book 2)

What Will's Been Missing

Emilia did not have very many people in her life that were important to her.

Of course, there was Theo. The two of them were likely closer than most siblings in the ton. Their parents' loving approach to raising them and their subsequent deaths had ensured that.

And then, there was Andrew, the Duke of Weston. The man who had looked after both herself and Theo when their parents had passed. And where Theo could be impulsive and overly protective, Andrew had always been a voice of reason for Emilia.

Once Emilia began her courtship with Will, she had then become close with Leo. Her first impression of him hadn't been the greatest; she thought him crass and a little rude. But Emilia soon learned that beneath his snide exterior, he was reluctantly caring and loyal. She found herself laughing at his remarks, typically at the expense of Will.

Leo had been furious when Will jilted her. They had gone through their own falling out because of it. Leo hadn't been able to understand how his oldest friend could do such a thing. Sometimes Emilia thought that Leo was wounded nearly as much as her at Will's supposed cruelness.

Will. And, of course, there had been Will.

Will. Leo. Andrew. Theo. Those were the people closest to her. And today, she realized they all betrayed her.

They'd all known this secret—this secret, which had been tied so closely to her heart's sadness. And yet, they kept it from her.

Emilia knew why. It was to keep her safe, or so they would say. She knew that they likely thought they were doing the right thing by hiding it from her. And because of that, Emilia knew she should feel bad for yelling at Will about it, especially when he had then wondered aloud whether or not she could ever forgive him.

Emilia wanted to. She wanted to forgive him and move forward with their lives. But right now, she felt so irritated. Her skin crawled with the feeling. The only way Emilia could feel more irritation was if Will informed her that Addie had known about all of this as well.

Unfortunately, Emilia had never really bonded with other ladies her age. She found their attitudes and priggish natures to be boring and stuffy. They cared far too much for rank and yet did not seem to care that Emilia had more than any other debutante in the room.

It was probably why Emilia bonded so well with Addie. If anyone had been born with the right to be snobbish, it was her. And yet, her experiences had humbled her, made her real. And so, Addie was the first female friend Emilia ever really had.

Sitting back in Will's desk chair, Emilia hoped that the princess hadn't betrayed her as well.

At the moment, Emilia's heart was being held together only by the image of Will's face as he had gripped her arm, pleading her not to leave before he stormed off.

It was almost as if he actually wished her to be apart of whatever idea had just struck him. As if she was inside the secret's walls. The ones that for years she hadn't been permitted to enter.

Emilia tried not to think about it or get her hopes up, instead turning her attention to the scattered notes on Will's desk, the contents of which varied from tax notices to personal correspondence. It wasn't merely Lord Trotten's letters that were gathered here, but also Lady Trotten's. Will seemed to collect everything that he could find, regardless of its nature.

Emila skimmed Lady Trotten's writing, finding that her penchant for gossip was nearly as strong as Lady Worthington's.

It would seem that Lady Penelope has found a gentleman that will tolerate her affinity for stuffing pastries in her mouth when she believes no one is looking. Well, perhaps it is not always noticed when she is downing the offending delicacies, but certainly, the sugary powder left upon her decolletage is a clue to her pastimes. My dear Lady Bennett, if she can land herself a dance with an earl, surely you can find a willing aristocrat for your darling niece.